Poland
Poland is a regional power in Central Europe. It is between two major powers, the 
German Reich and the 
Soviet Union. It is arguably the 6th strongest country in Europe during World War II.
Historical background[edit | edit source]
The Second Polish Republic (Pol: Druga Rzeczpospolita) was perhaps the sixth most powerful country in Europe in 1936, but was caught between two rising superpowers — Germany under the fanatical Nazis, and the Soviet Union, the epicenter of 
Communism. Due largely to limited economic resources, Poland was unable to keep pace with the intense armament efforts of its neighbors. After being the target of Hitler's political machinations, and becoming Poland's friend while weakening the country's independence and ties with 
France, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between the Soviet Union and Germany paved the way for territorial demands and, soon, war.
World War II is most often considered to have begun on 1 September 1939 with the invasion of Poland by the German Reich. Both the 
United Kingdom, the leader of the Allies, and France guaranteed Poland's independence, and did declare war on Germany. However, no real pressure was brought against the Third Reich. Almost 100 French divisions invaded Germany, but were ordered to halt 1 km from the thin and undermanned Siegfried Line and withdraw to their original positions in the Maginot Line. For 8 months after, the “Phoney War” of minor skirmishes and almost unreal quiet held sway as the allies did nothing. After the war, a German officer remarked that had the allies pressed their offensive then, Germany could only have held out for a few weeks.
The last divisions of the Polish Army capitulated after a month, on the 6th of October; but the Polish Government never officially surrendered. Indeed, their resistance was one of the best organized in Europe, complete with schools and a postal service. The Polish struggle continued on the Western Front with the Polish Fleet and Polish army brigades who evacuated through 
Romania to France and thence to England.
Polish soldiers played key roles in the war including the Battle of Britain, the Battle of Narvik, and the Battle of Monte Cassino. However, the rise of the “Iron Curtain” and the West-East division of Europe negotiated between the allies and Comintern left Poland a Soviet satellite state, its true independence not to return until the fall of the USSR decades later.
Events[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Polish events
National focus[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Polish national focus tree
Poland gets a unique national focus tree as part of a free DLC. With the No Step Back DLC, this tree is expanded. If the DLC is not enabled, Poland will use the generic national focus tree instead.
The focus tree can be divided into 5 main branches:
- Central Region Strategy - The Four Year Plan
- This branch offers the possibility to develop the nation's infrastructure and factories as well as enabling up to two additional research slots.
- Prepare For The Next War
- This branch has options to keep pace/modernize the Polish ground forces with/ahead of its neighbors.
- Air Base Expansion
- This branch includes focuses which grants several research bonuses to improve aircraft. The first focus of the branch adds an air base.
- Develop Polish Ship Building
- This branch includes focuses which grants several research bonuses that could potentially specialize or widen the range of ships available for service soon. Includes research bonus for naval doctrine advancements.
- Strengthen The Polish State
- This branch contains various diplomatic focuses and focuses to change the ideology of the government. This branch has mutually exclusive choices that enables the player to forge an alliance or create one of its own.
Technology[edit | edit source]
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Poland starts with three research slots.
| Army Technology | Naval Technology | Air Technology | Electronics & Industry |
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Cosmetic names[edit | edit source]
Poland has many unique cosmetic names for its equipment, listed here.
| Type | 1918 | 1936 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support Weapons | Ckm wz. 25 & Mozdzierz wz. 18 | Rkm Browning wz.1928 & Granatnik wz. 36 | Ckm wz.32 & Mozdzierz wz. 31 | Nkm wz. 38 FK & Mozdzierz wz. 40 ST | |||||
| Infantry Equipment | Kb Mauser wz.98a | Kbsp wz.38M | wz. 38 Mors | wz. 43 Blyskawica | |||||
| Infantry Anti-Tank | Kb Ppanc wz. 35 Ur | ET-38 anti-tank grenade | |||||||
| Motorized | Ursus A | ||||||||
| Mechanized | C4P | C2P | C7P |
| Tech year | Amphibious  |
Light (TD/SPG/AA) | Medium (TD/SPG/AA) | Modern (TD/SPG/AA) | Heavy (TD/SPG/AA) | Super-Heavy (TD/SPG/AA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Renault FT | |||||
| 1934 | TKS | 27TP | ||||
| 1936 | 7TP | |||||
| 1939 | 10TP | |||||
| 1941 | 9TP | 14TP | 32TP | |||
| 1943 | Husarz | Bestia | Behemot | |||
| 1945 | Ułan |
| Tech year | Anti-Air | Artillery | Rocket Artillery | Anti-Tank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | 75mm wz. 31 | |||
| 1936 | 40mm wz. 36 | 37mm wz. 36 | ||
| 1939 | Haubica 100mm wz. 38 St. | |||
| 1940 | Armata plot. 75mm wz. 36 | Armata ppanc. 47mm wz. 39 | ||
| 1942 | Armata 155mm wz. 40 | |||
| 1943 | NA | Armata ppanc. 76mm wz. 43 |
| Tech Year | Close Air Support (Carrier) | Fighter (Carrier) | Naval Bomber (Carrier) | Heavy Fighter | Tactical Bomber | Strategic Bomber | Scout Plane |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | PZL.11 (PZL. 11 Floty) | Żubr | |||||
| 1936 | Karaś (Karaś Floty) | Jastrząb (Jastrząb Floty) | Foka (Foka Floty) | Wilk | Łoś | Pszczoła | |
| 1940 | Sum (Sum Floty) | Kania (Kania Floty) | Lew Morski (Lew Morski Floty) | Ryś | Miś | Osa | |
| 1944 | Okoń (Okoń Floty) | Pustułka (Pustułka Floty) | Mors (Mors Floty) | Lis | Dzik | Szerszeń | |
| Jet Engine Technology | |||||||
| 1945 | Orzeł | Borsuk | |||||
| 1950 | Sęp | Rosomak | Komar | ||||
Diplomacy[edit | edit source]
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This is a community maintained wiki. If you spot a mistake then you are welcome to fix it. |
Poland starts as non-aligned, but with their unique focus tree can easily join any of the main ideologies or even try and remain neutral through the war by starting their own faction.
In the 1936 opening, Poland has to make a decision on what faction to join. In 1936, the Polish Army is stronger than the Wehrmacht so an preemptive attack can be considered especially if France declares war after the reoccupation of the Rhine event. If Poland chooses to join the Allies it needs to be aware of the fact that the brunt of the German war effort will be placed on it. If Poland chooses to join the Axis it has the potential to destroy the USSR. If Poland decides to join the Comintern it will be able to knock out Germany very early on and prevent the Soviet Union from claiming its eastern states. This course of action can be problematic if Poland joins the Axis and Germany takes the "Molotov Ribbentrop Pact" focus.
Alliances[edit | edit source]
In 1936, Poland does not belong in any alliances but it can form an alliance with France via decision late 1938. By national focus, Poland can create its own faction called "Międzymorze" (mid-sea/between-seas, Latin "Intermarium", a reference to the Baltic and Black seas—at its height of power in the 16th to 17th centuries, Poland's borders stretched from the Baltic to the Black sea. Arguably, the idea of returning to that former glory is part of the national consciousness, especially in the newly re-instituted second republic of the early 20th century).
Politics[edit | edit source]
National spirits[edit | edit source]
These national spirits are only available if the Poland: United and Ready DLC is enabled
Political Power Gain: -15%- Daily Support for
Unaligned: +0.05 - Political Advisor Cost: +15%
- Economy Laws Cost: +15%
- Conscription Laws Cost: +15%
War support: -10.00%- Daily Support for Unaligned: +0.05
Laws[edit | edit source]
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This is a community maintained wiki. If you spot a mistake then you are welcome to fix it. |
| Conscription Law | Economy Law | Trade Law |
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 Volunteer Only
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 Civilian Economy
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 Export Focus
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Political parties[edit | edit source]
| Political Party | Ideology | Popularity | Party Leader | Country Name | Is Ruling? |
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| Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe |  Democratic |
18% | Wincenty Witos | Polish Republic | No, but can come to power by coup. |
| Communist Party of Poland | Communist |
2% | Władysław Gomułka | Polish People's Republic | No, but can come to power by coup. |
| Oboz Narodowo Radykalny-Falanga |  Fascist |
15% | Bolesław Piasecki | Falangist Poland (If Independent or a puppet)/The Generalgovernement (If is specifically a German Puppet) | No, but can come to power by coup. |
| Bermontian Party | Fascist |
--- | Pavel Bermondt-Avalov | Bermontian Kingdom of Poland | No, but can come to power via picking him in event after the focus "Fulfil the 5th of November Act". |
| Sanacja | Non-Aligned |
65% | Ignacy Mościcki | Poland | Yes |
| Powszechna Organizacja Społeczeństwa | Non-Aligned |
--- | Walery Sławek | Poland | No, but can come to power via focus "A New King in the Castle". |
| Obóz Zjednoczenia Narodowego | Non-Aligned |
--- | Edward Rydz-Śmigły | Sanationist Poland | No, but can come to power via focus "Triumph of OZN". |
| House Romanov | Non-Aligned |
--- | Anna Andersson ("Anastasia Romanov") | Congressional Kingdom of Poland | No, but can come to power via picking her in event after the focus "Fulfil the 5th of November Act". |
| House of Habsburg | Non-Aligned |
--- | Karl Albrecht I | Kingdom of Poland | No, but can come to power via picking him in event after the focus "Fulfil the 5th of November Act". |
| House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen | Non-Aligned |
--- | Michał II | Kingdom of Poland | No, but can come to power via picking him in event after the focus "Fulfil the 5th of November Act". |
| House of Wettin | Non-Aligned |
--- | Friedrich Christian | Kingdom of Poland | No, but can come to power via picking him in event after the focus "Fulfil the 5th of November Act". |
Staff and designers[edit | edit source]
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost ()
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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PZinż | Tank Designer |
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150 |
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost ()
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Stocznia Gdynia | Ship Designer |
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150 |
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost ()
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PWS | Light Aircraft Designer |
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150 |
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PZL | Medium Aircraft Designer |
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150 |
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost ()
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FB | Infantry Equipment Designer |
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150 |
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SMPA | Artillery Designer |
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150 |
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LRL | Motorized Equipment Designer |
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150 |
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost ()
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PKP | Industrial Concern |
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150 |
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AVA | Electronics Concern |
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150 |
Economy[edit | edit source]
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This is a community maintained wiki. If you spot a mistake then you are welcome to fix it. |
1936
 Military Factories |
 Naval Dockyards |
 Civilian Factories |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | 17 |
As well as 37 free slots. 9 Civilian Factories are available for construction duty.
 Oil |
 Rubber |
 Steel |
 Aluminum |
 Tungsten |
 Chromium |
| 5(2) | 0(0) | 51(19) | 11(2) | 0(0) | 0(0) |
*These numbers represent the available resources for production at start of the game. In the bracket are the complete numbers including those lost for trading.
Military[edit | edit source]
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This is a community maintained wiki. If you spot a mistake then you are welcome to fix it. |
Army[edit | edit source]
| Type | No. | |
|---|---|---|
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Infantry | 28 |
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Cavalry | 10 |
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Mountaineer | 2 |
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Total divisions | 40 |
The Polish Army (Wojsko Polskie) is based on large infantry divisions as well as small cavalry brigades.
- Infantry divisions (Dywizja Piechoty) are made of 9
infantry regiments with a 
cavalry recon company. - Mountaineer divisions (Dywizja Piechoty Górskiej) comprise 9
mountain regiments with a cavalry recon company. - Cavalry brigades (Brygada Kawalerii) are made of 3
cavalry regiments with a cavalry recon company.
8 of the infantry divisions and all of the cavalry brigardes are at "Trained" with the rest of the army at Regular; all units suffer from equipment shortages.
Total: 30 Divisions + 10 Brigades
Manpower Used: 320k
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The Polish Navy (Marynarka Wojenna) is almost nonexistent. It is best to ignore any Naval research unless going for a World Conquest or there is nothing left to do.
Total: 5 vessels | Manpower Used: 1.1k
| Name | Type | Count | Production | Techyear | Design note |
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| Wicher Class | Minelayer (DD) | 2 | 1922 | DD battery I, AA I, TT I, DC I and mines | |
| Wilk Class | Minelayer (SS) | 3 | 1936 | TT I and mines |
Air Force[edit | edit source]
| Type | No. | |
|---|---|---|
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Close air support | 22 |
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Fighter | 162 |
Total: 184 planes | Manpower Used: 3.68k
The Polish Air Force (Siły Powietrzne) is weak and it would take a lot of time to upgrade, but it is definitely worth upgrading to try and wrest air control from the Germans in 1939..
Strategies and guides[edit | edit source]
The below is one of many player suggested strategies for Poland. Bear in mind, due to the dynamic nature of the game, it may unfold differently for other players.Monarchism in Poland
The monarch tree is probably the best tree for Poland when in opposition or neutrality toward both Russia and Germany, due to all 5 sub tree's giving Poland extra land and/or cores. While the other trees are functional, they mostly serve to let the Poles either becoming a puppet to ally fascist Germany, or allying the soviets, in which case is hard to hold by Operation Barbarossa. It should also be noted that the monarchism paths also completely gets rid of both the right and left opposition, something in which the other tress need to deal with immediately, and therefore doing their industrial focuses later. The other option is the civil war, which while isn't bad, is not recommended, as there really is no benefit to doing it. Thus, for games in which the objective is either a decent single player campaign, or a non historical multiplayer in which Poland is not allowed to join the Germans or Soviets, Monarchism is most likely the best option.
It should be noted that while turning historical AI off has a chance to lock you out of some focus trees due to the Baltics becoming a puppet of the soviets, historical AI on is likely to doom you even more as the soviets will not have an otherwise somewhat likely revolution and will demand land or justify on you relatively soon.
There are 5 subpaths in the monarch tree. If one looks at the focus trees of Poland, it seems there are only 4, but the 5th is secret and will be exposed when the monarch is selected.
To start the Monarchist campaign, first go down the first 2 focuses of the monarch tree. When you complete the 5th of November Act, every 35 days an event appears in which you can either crown a king or pass to the next option. The events will show the rulers in the order of (Commonwealth, Hasburg, Poland - Romania, Cossack King, Commonwealth, Hasburg, Poland - Romania, Cossack King, Romanov, Commonwealth, Hasburg, etc...). You want to do this first because it takes some time to get some kings, and it removes the political power penalty, allowing you to select partial mobilization as soon as possible.
After doing the 5th of November Act, while waiting for your desired ruler start doing the industrial part of your focus tree. Make sure to do Agrarian Reform relatively quickly (otherwise the peasants will revolt), although there is no need to rush it as you have 2 or 3 focuses of room. Good options are the early extra research slot, 2 extra civilian factories, and -15% consumer goods. It should be noted that some focuses are 35 days while others are 70. Once you proceed down the railroads and agrarian reform, doing Investing in Eastern Poland is recommended as it gives and extra 3 civs and 1 mil.
After finishing 5-6 industrial focuses, you should choose to rush down your political path that you selected, as most require annexing land from countries which both Germany and the Soviets will be annexing in 1938 and 1939.
For the Commonwealth, Hasburg, or Romanian monarch paths, it is relatively simple. Rush down the focus that allows you to start making the monarch decisions in the country you want. I suggest saving political power 1 or 2 focuses before that focus, as you will need around 350 political power in total in making the decisions without spending any of your industrial power. Try to limit yourself to using the 50 political power decision for the first few, and then when the 25 command power and 25 political power decision becomes available use that in conjunction with the 50 political power. If it seems Germany or the Soviets may be annexing it earlier than expected, you can use the other decisions to quicken up the pace. If you get the politcal power needed and do the focus, the AI sometimes tries to counter this by using decisions that allow them to decrease monarch support thus canceling your focus. It can then be recommended to do monarchy support while doing your focus, even if it is somewhat wasted. Annex them as quick as possible.
For the Cossack or Romanov paths, just rush down the focus that allows you to annex land. I believe improving relations does help the country saying yes to your demands, so do that when you start the focus to demand something.
After you have gathered all the annexations possible, there are several options for Poland to do. At this point, all will be dependent on the state of the game. However, I believe there are 4 good options, and the order is best determined by a players playstyle. If you are not ready for war it is usually beneficial to give up Danzig, although I would work with the Soviets diplomatically in the event that comes afterward, due to fascist support ruining stability. If you really want, you can give up the East to the Soviets, although you will run out of space to build factories really fast after that.
1: If you still have political focuses in your tree that you can do, those are generally good if they provide benefits you need at the moment. You can attack countries if you like, but make sure not to do it while a greater power is about to declare war on you.
2: The industrial tree is crucial to making Poland more than just a stepping stone. If one really focuses on the industrial tree while annexing land, a player can have more industrial power than France.
3: The plan west and plan east focuses after preparing for the next war. This gives you access to forts, some quality troops (not really worth 70 days so should not take priority), it allows you to sabotage all industry, which is good if you are allied to the allies as it dampens Germany's military potential, and finally it allows local western plans and eastern plans. These give you access to 50 pp decisions that give a boost to defense and a small boost to attack and breakthrough within a state.
4: The Between the Seas Concept is probably the most fun of the bunch, allowing you to invite Romania, Hungary, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, the Baltics, and either Greece or Turkey. You can invite Italy if you are fascist, even if they have joined Germany by this point. Improving relations definitely helps them join, so do that as much as possible to almost guarantee them joining. It can be also noted that you can sometimes invite other AI countries depending on the state of the world. I have gotten Monarchist UK, China, mid civil war USSR, Spain and Bulgaria in my faction before. You need a good amount of Factories and 700k men to start doing this.
A few notes on each path:
Poland-Romania: Probably the easiest path to "win", as you can give Germany Danzig and use a large frontline and a good industrial base to focus on Russia, then turn back on Germany,
The Greater Commonwealth: If you want to do the focus at the bottom of your tree, you will need half of the Ussr and East Prussia, thus it is much of the gameplay from above, but instead of the Romanians at the start you will only have Lithuania and maybe Latvia. It can be recommended that you wait for the Baltics to do the industrial focuses as much as possible, as you can annex a sizeable industry.
The Hasburg: A slightly harder campaign but probably more useful against a player Germany that wants to kill Poland as fast as possible, since the Hapsburg revolves around fighting Germany first, not Russia. Russia is of course harder after 1941, but before 1940 Germany is a much harder person to beat compared to the other 2 campaigns. If Germany pushes you past Krakow, you can do desperate defense much earlier than usual since a lot of your victory points are in Czechia and Krakow. If you let them push more, you can do Prepare for the Inevitable and many other focuses below it without actually capitulating once, gaining 20% core defense and attack, as well as numerous other benefits.
The Cossack King: You can actually do 1 or 2 industrial focuses at the start here, as by the time you get Pavel, world tension will probably be above 0%, and you can be on war economy early game. You are going to probably not want to make yourself a puppet, so the territorial benefits of this route is Slovakia and Lithuania, both of which are not guaranteed nor cores, although if you do garrison the Lithuanians you get cores on them in1941 - 1942 due to the restore the commonwealth focus. Ignore the assert Western Campaigns, as Germany will always be more ready for war than you, and they will justify on you eventually. Instead, rush down the Alliance tree preferably as fast as possible, as if you can finish both the Yugoslavian focus and the Greek/turkey focus, you can invite Italy to the faction before they go to war. This seems really good, but your alliance will be declared on by both Germany and Russia, and Italy will probably declare war on the allies. Thus, winning the war quite literally against the entire world is difficult, so this is probably the hardest campaign. However, it is fun and challenging, and can be good for a multiplayer coop with a Poland and an Italy.
The Romanov: The secret path of coring Russia is also fun, although is not so much challenging. Again, it is similar to gameplay as the first 2, as you fight Russia before it industrializes (and probably is in a civil war). Also, if the Soviets have no troops on your border because they are fighting in Siberia, be careful not to capitulate them before you do claim Russia, as it will cancel the focus and lock you out of getting cores. However, if you are in for a challenge, you can get Wojtek the Bear as your leader under the following conditions:
1: Fighting against Italy and has divisions in Italy.
2: You have Anastasia (fake) as your ruler.
3: An ally or you controls Persia.
4: After all of these conditions are met, you can then only take Moscow.
This is difficult because it requires you to just be taking Moscow while you have divisions against Italy, thus fighting both the Axis and Comnitern and winning by a decent amount.
Finally a few notes on Poland itself:
Poland's biggest problem beside it being between Russia and Germany is resources. When at war with Germany, Poland will be starved of almost all resources. It can actually be very useful not to upgrade your equipment, as doing so leads to more steel being used up. Even doing this, when fighting Germany, it is not useful to build more than 30 or 40 military factories as building more will lead to equipment that you have no resources to produce.
You can ally Germany if they go monarchist. You are actually more useful to Germany than Italy, so making the November Alliance is mutually beneficial to both of you, as Poland can invite many other countries.
Use anti-air. The allies will be of no use to you, at least in the early war, so you cannot expect to win the air war easily.
Once you are almost capitulated, you can finally do Prepare for the Inevitable. This focus tree will give you many bonuses and some factories to keep you occupied while capitulated, and you will eventually be able to form a very sizable revolt late game.
Achievements[edit | edit source]
| North America |
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| South America |
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| Africa |
| Oceania |
